Optical instruments such as monoculars, including telescopes and spotting scopes, have means for adjusting the relationship of the components of their optical systems. For typical telescopes, for example, various lens systems are adjustable for movement along the optical axis of the optical system to focus the image to the observer's eye.
Adjustable movement of the eyepiece, for example, may be controlled by a rack and pinion arrangement, or by a screw coupling of the eyepiece to the telescope housing, for example. As to the screw coupling, rotation of a threaded ring displaces the threaded eyepiece and the lens or lenses contained in it for the desired focusing effect. Operation of the rack and pinion mechanism is similar, in that rotation of a ring can rotate the pinion gear to displace the rack which carries the adjustable optical component.
In addition to focusing adjustment, some monoculars, including telescopes and spotting scopes, have a zoom lens system by which optical power of the instrument is adjusted by positioning one of several components of the optical system in relation to each other. As with the focusing adjustment, typical screw threaded or rack and pinion mechanisms are used in which rotation of a ring positions optical components to zoom in on an object.
These controllers can be cumbersome to use and often do not have a fast response time in producing focusing or zooming to the desired sharp image easily and quickly.
There is a need for a control mechanism for adjusting components of an optical system with a fast response time. The control adjustment should quickly and easily produce the desired function, such focusing or zooming, with extreme reliability and accuracy, while holding a sharp image once the optical component is adjusted. It is also desirable for the controller to facilitate external adjustment being made easily with one hand to produce an accurate focus or zoom adjustment with the desired fast response.
The present invention provides an improved controller having these advantages.